Is Self-Publishing Literary Fiction Possible?
Or is genre fiction the only success story?
For some time now, I’ve been interested in the field of self-publishing and whether or not it could provide a worthwhile pathway for my own literary fiction writing.
Until recently — being frank — I would never have considered the self-publishing route, simply because I have maintained an old-fashioned (and probably snobbish) attitude to publishing, one that valued the affirmation of the traditional publishing model and its products.
That’s how I interact with fiction: all the novels I’ve ever read are hold-in-your-hand paperbacks or hardcovers. I get my book recommendations from newspapers and review journals. One of my favourite pastimes is to idle among the shelves of a secondhand bookshop. And I’ve never used an e-reader in my life.
In recent years, however, I’ve begun to think differently about self-publishing. I’ll explain why in a minute. The trouble is that I have one persistent doubt: can literary fiction can succeed in the self-publishing arena or is genre fiction the only game in town?
Change of mind
The main reason I’ve begun to think differently about self-publishing is that I now see the divide between traditional and “indie” as much less…
